


Ryuji Sakamoto: Tokyo's Newest Heartthrob

by kitaakes



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen, Interviews, Lovers!Ryuji, Model Ryuji, Roleswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:09:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27272449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitaakes/pseuds/kitaakes
Summary: Eventually, Akira chimes in with his own advice. “Just be yourself! I mean, you don’t have anything to hide… except the obvious, of course.”A staffer from the magazine peeks their head out of the door and looks around. “Excuse me, is Ryuji Sakamoto here? Interview starts in ten.”--An interview with up-and-coming model Ryuji Sakamoto.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 42





	Ryuji Sakamoto: Tokyo's Newest Heartthrob

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of the Swap AU by me, [@Hephasst](https://twitter.com/hephasst), and [@Nyacleicacid](https://twitter.com/nyacleicacid)!

The Phantom Thieves, now consisting of Akira, Ann, Ryuji, Futaba, and Makoto, gather outside the magazine’s entrance before they send Ryuji off into the interview room. 

“ _YG-J WEEKLY_ , huh?” Akira looks at the lit up sign hanging above the doors. The building’s modern, with barely a speck of dirt on the premises. It screams: _this place is brand new, but the amount of money they’ve pumped in gives it the reputation of a place that’s at least ten years older._

Not that the other thieves are really contemplating the state of the building or the history of the magazine, of course. Their attention is turned elsewhere, and now Akira’s is as well. Ryuji’s dressed to impress, and he’s got a smile to match. There’s something radiant about him, even as he’s idly flipping the ring in his ear up and down to pass the time. 

“You got this, Ryuji!” Ann smiles and swings an arm around his shoulders.

Makoto shrugs. “You’ll do fine. Don’t blow our cover or anything, though. We’d be pretty fucked if you did that.” 

She points to his outfit and makes a flicking motion. “Oh, and fix that. It’s unprofessional of you.”

Ryuji pauses for a second and looks down, his eyes widening as he quickly fixes the tie he’s been wearing crooked this whole time. “I mean, you guys got any tips other than that?” 

Futaba is sitting on a nearby bench, glued to her sketchbook, but still responds to the question. “Nothing’s gonna go wrong, okay? You’ll be totally okay.” 

Eventually, Akira chimes in with his own advice. “Just be yourself! I mean, you don’t have anything to hide… except the obvious, of course.”

A staffer from the magazine peeks their head out of the door and looks around. “Excuse me, is Ryuji Sakamoto here? Interview starts in ten.”

Ryuji waves to the staffer. “That would be me.”

“Good luck!” Akira gives him a nervous little thumbs up as he walks off, Ryuji still walking just a little backwards and waving as he does so.

This is going to be fine.

Right?

**_\--_ **

_Today’s subject is none other than Ryuji Sakamoto, an up-and-coming model who has captured the hearts of people around not only Tokyo, but the country. He attends Shujin Academy, which has recently been embroiled in a conflict surrounding former coach Suguru Kamoshida and the mysterious Phantom Thieves._

_Today, he’s wearing a grey vest, along with a grey tie and a white collared shirt to match. The earrings he’s got on are subtle but pack a punch, just like him._

**_Let’s start off with a softball question for you, Sakamoto: What do you like to do in your free time?_ **

_From the start, Sakamoto looks absolutely frazzled, as if someone’s asked him which of his pets he’d rather eat instead of what he likes to do for fun._

“Well, really, I like to go and - uh, um… Um. Well. Uh. I like to hang out with my friends? Yeah. Yeah, that sounds right. We like to go like… um… we go to the movies sometimes? We hang out on the roof, too, uhhh..”

**_Take your time._ ** _(He does, in fact “take his time”. It takes him another minute to come up with another answer, before he springs up again and seems to regain his energy.)_

“We really like to go fishing, actually. Fishing is so cool, man, have you ever seen those, like, concrete ponds? And then there’s this coffee shop we hang out at too, and I really like that place. The guy who runs it is kinda mean, but he could be worse, really. He’s gotten nicer to us - uh, what was I supposed to say now?”

**_Well, we can always move onto another question if you’re having trouble with this one. You’re quite the looker. Do you have special skin care or hair care tips?_ **

_He smiles brightly before answering, his tone completely confident when he speaks._

“Actually, I just use three-in-one shampoo and conditioner. It works pretty well for me.”

**_Three-in-one? Bold move, Sakamoto. I can’t say most of your fans will expect it, though!_ **

_He laughs._

“Seriously, the stuff from 777 works just fine! I even use it for toothpaste sometimes.”

**_You… you what? I’m sorry, did I hear you correctly?_ **

_He nods. Oh, god, he’s serious, isn’t he? He really uses it like that…_

**_Well. Erm. Anyway. We should move on to the next question, right?_ **

“What? Oh, yeah, okay.”

**_As we know, you attend Shujin Academy, where Suguru Kamoshida w-_ **

_He grits his teeth and knits his eyebrows together slightly._

“No way, man. You’re not gonna get me to talk about this. Try something else. If you brought me here just to talk about that, I can’t really help you. Don’t even try it.”

**_Are you sure? I-_ **

“Yeah, dude, I’m sure.”

**_Well, alright. Let’s switch to another topic, then. Phantom Thief fever has enveloped the country, with merchandise, banners, and the ever-popular “Phansite” growing every day. Can I at least ask for your opinion on the Phantom Thieves as a whole?_ ** _They had their origins at Shujin, but have since been responsible for a number of “thefts”, such as the “heart” of SIU prosecutor Sae Niijima._

_His smile grows to a dazzling grin when the Phantom Thieves are brought up, and there seems to be more energy in the way he speaks. His speech is accompanied by small but exaggerated hand motions._

“Man, the Phantom Thieves? They’re amazing! They’re doing really good stuff, you know? They’re real heroes, taking down basta– um, I mean bad guys. Haha.”

_He leans in conspiratorially, the hint of a smirk on his face._

“And, did you know, I k-”

_There’s a banging noise on the window. As if on cue, he pulls back, straightening up and moving his tie, which had become slightly crooked.._

“So, uh, yeah. I like them. I think they’re doing the right thing, you know?”

**_Alright, great. Rumor says that you’ve been spotted talking to Yusuke Kitagawa, heir to the Madarame Galleries empire, as of late. What’s he like?_ **

_He nods enthusiastically when Kitagawa’s name is mentioned._

“Oh, yeah, Yusuke! He’s a bit of a pretty boy, but I mean that in a good way. He’s really nice, you know? He bought our friend a new tablet, actually.”

**_You know, there’s been rumors that the Thieves are going to steal his father’s heart next._ ** _According to Phansite polling, Ichiryusai Madarame, the head of Madarame Galleries, has received 40% of this week’s votes on this week’s poll. He’s come under critique in the past for his restrictive exclusivity contracts, but none of the rumors have panned out to anything substantial._

“I dunno anything about that.”

**_Are there any other high-profile celebrities you’ve been hanging out with?_ **

_He shrugs._

“Not really. Uh… you guys want to find some for me? I wouldn’t complain.”

**_Alright, one last question. Have you got anyone… special in your life right now?_ **

“My friends, man! They’re the most special people in the world to me. I dunno what I’d do without them.”

**_No, no. I mean… are you seeing anyone?_ **

“Yeah, I see my friends every day. They’re even sitting outside right now!”

**_I’ll be blunt, then: Are you dating anyone?_ **

_Sakamoto’s smile falters and falls quickly, and he looks away._

“Oh, uh, no.”

**_Well, hopefully you find someone soon, right? You’re really a catch, Sakamoto-San._ **

“Thanks! It was great to talk to you guys too. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime soon, yeah?”

**_Maybe so._ **

_And there you have it, folks - a look inside the mind of Ryuji Sakamoto._

**\--**

Makoto looks like she’s shaking just slightly - it’s not entirely certain if it’s with fear or barely restricted anger - as Ryuji exits the building again.

As they all start to walk off together, heading back towards Leblanc, she opens her mouth to scold him. “I cannot believe how reckless you were in there. You could have blown our cover three separate times. You’re terrible at being a “Phantom” Thief.”

Ann brushes it off quickly. “Don’t be so concerned, Makoto. He didn’t actually say anything, right? Plus, you’re the only one with the kind of internet know-how to find the actual connections. I think we’re pretty safe.”

Ryuji is also rather nonchalant about it. “Well, the interviewer didn’t seem to figure it out, so I think we’ll be fine.”

Futaba, as always, has her eyes on her sketchpad. “You guys take this stuff _way_ too seriously.”

Makoto responds in turn. “Better to be serious than caught by the SIU, no?”

Before anyone else can respond, Akira steps in. 

“I think he did great guys, right? Our secret’s intact and he’s still on the cover of the magazine. Now, uh… can I ask you about what you said there? Makoto was watching on the security camera, and you said you use three-in-one as toothpaste?””

“Man, I can’t believe you guys are coming after me for that! I think that…” Ryuji’s voice trails off in Akira’s head as the Phantom Thieves start to banter again.

**Author's Note:**

> Please check out the amazing [art](https://twitter.com/hephasst/status/1321964883022290945?s=20) that Heph made for this piece! An additonal thank you to my lovely beta [Soma](https://twitter.com/exbeekeeper)\- go read their fic!! If you want to see more of this AU or more of my fic, feel free to visit me on twitter at [@Kitaakes](https://twitter.com/kitaakes)!


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